Why ‘boring’ AI is Hollywood’s best bet: The technology could be the industry's secret weapon – just not how you'd expect. A single box office bomb can lose studios tens, if not hundreds, of millions. Disney’s Strange World reportedly lost $200M, and The Flash set DC back by over $150M. Those are among the worst cases, but failing to turn a profit is a common occurrence in the filmmaking industry, with even conservative estimates suggesting 10% of major productions flop.
Given the high risk, the temptation to use generative AI in filmmaking is entirely understandable. It can bring entire projects to life in a fraction of the time and on a much smaller budget. But at what cost? AI is capable of throwing together a semi-coherent script and generating visuals that pass the eye test without much scrutiny. Yet, we’re nowhere close to the point where AI can write scenes, organize productions, act naturally, and shoot movies without any human assistance.
The industry will continue to rely heavily on the creativity and vision of its writers, performers, directors, designers, and wider production teams for the foreseeable future, and they’ve already made it abundantly clear that they’re unwilling to share a set with AI if it’s given a starring role. Preventing AI from taking creative jobs in the field was one of the primary causes of the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike, which caused losses in excess of $5 billion. Audiences share that sentiment, regularly panning the use of generative AI for creative purposes. And not just heavily AI-generated projects, such as Misaligned, starring AI actress Tilly Norwood, but movies that used it sparingly, such as Young Washington.
While the technology is constantly improving, algorithms are infamous for producing inconsistent narratives, repetitive tropes, and uncanny imagery. With that in mind, something as simple as using generative AI in a promotional poster can, and has, caused backlash. The actual film might be perfectly watchable, but like a poor critic score, that label alone is bound to put plenty of people off buying a ticket.
AI’s role in Hollywood: There’s an important distinction, however. Netflix’s The Gentleman received positive reviews from critics and audiences – despite the use of AI. The difference is, the technology was used exclusively behind the scenes to break down the series’ action-packed script, inform shooting decisions, and help the production run smoothly. Viewers weren’t presented with AI-generated visuals or a storyline shaped by algorithms. Many productions now use AI in this way, assigning it menial, repetitive pre-production tasks such as script breakdowns, shooting schedules, and budget planning that do not influence what ends up on the screen in any way.
